On The Song Poems Of Qiangcun's

Zhu Xiaozang (1857-1931), also named Zumou, Qiangcun, is hornored by the modern poetic circles as the poet who embodied the great achievement of the Song poem at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Placing his works in the background of his time and his experience, this essay examines the characteristics of that particular era as epitomized in Qiangcun's Song poems. As a comprehensive exploration of the connotation and style of Qiangcun's poems, this essay is also a trial to give an objective critique on his poems.Born at a time when China was in turbulence, Qiangcun witnessed a series of events of political significance, such as the abortive Hundred Days Reform of 1898, the Protocol of 1901,_and the Revolution of 1911. Concerned about the current events of his time and worried about the security of the nation, he was overwhelmed with extreme indignation at the invasion and exploitation of China by the imperialist powers. Embodying his feelings and emotions about his experience and the situation in China in his Song poems, Qiangcun felt the pulse of the time with his personal involvement. His patriotism was sincere and his thought profound. Though he himself did not participate in the Hundred Days Reform of 1898, he showed his sympathy and support in his poems. When it came to the Protocol of 1901, he criticized the impotence and corruption of the authorities represented by empress dowager Tz'u Hsi who signed a series of humiliating and conceding treaties with imperialist powers, which finally induced their invasion of China when the Chinese people were plunged into an abyss of misery. Qiangcun's poems on scenery and the accompanying sentimental feelings during this period better expressed his worries concerning the future of the nation. In the wake of the Revolution of 1911, the poet was laden with anxieties at the turbulence brought by the fightings among the warlords. Some of his poems reflected his abomination about this situation, but more revealed his mentality as an old adherent of the deceased Qing Dynasty.In artistic style, the poem of Qiangcun follows that of Wu Wenying and Su Shi. Using sublime words but with deep meanings, his works suggests his concern about the prospect of the nation with implications, gentle and deep at the same time profound and bitter. His works places much emphasis on fining images, especially on expressing deep and serene feelings through certain things and images. It also pays much attention on the creation of artistic atmosphere. Some of his works depicts scenery, be it expressing his feelings through scenery or blending feelings with scenery, boasts touching artistic attraction. Noble and unsullied, Qiangcun was openhearted and had a sharp sense of integrity. His poems are simple and elegant, and have a lingering taste, lofty and far-reaching. Meanwhile, his poems are also depressing, rich and gaudy, combined with a lasting expression. He deserved to be honored as one of the "Four Masters at the last stage of Qing Dynasty" and the great master of the traditional Song poem on its thousands of years history.This essay also offers a review about the current situation of the study on the poem of Qiangcun's, and a systematic sorting-out of various versions of his poems.